Fountain pens



Oct. 10, 1961 s. N. RosENrHAl. 3,003,182

FOUNTAIN PENS Filed Aug. 13, 1959 United States Patent O '3,003,182 FOUNTAIN PENS Sidney N. Rosenthal, Belle Harbor, N.Y., assignor to Speedry Chemical Products, Inc., Richmond Hill, N.Y. Filed Aug. 13, 1959, ser. No. 833,649 1 Claim. (Cl. 15A-563) The present invention relates to improvements in pens for marking or writing indicia and moreA particularly to improvements in pens of the type described and claimed in my prior Patent 2,416,596, issued February 25,- 1947, which utilizes a piece of feltor similar self-sustaining porous material as a nib.

Fountain pens of the type disclosed in my prior patent are in common use throughout the country. The piece of felt constituting the nib extends through and is retained by a nib holder forming the end portion of the pen which is gripped by the ngers. The nib holder is accurately formed and has a screw threaded connection with the interior of the barrel of the pen. The nib is directly carried by the nib holder with the result that the replacement of a nib is relativelyrexpensive.

It is many times desirable to replace a nib by one having a dilferent shape, such as a round end, square end, chisel-shaped end or pointed end. However, the cost of nib holders limits the extent to which the different shaped i nibs are used.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a pen of the type indicated in which nibs of diierent shapes are carried by nib embracing adapters and which may be easily and quickly interchanged by merely sliding the nibs and thin adapters into and out of the nib holder.

This and other objects will become more apparent from the following description and drawing in which like reference characters denote like parts throughout the several views. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawing is for the purpose of illustration only and is not a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claim.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of la fountain pen incorporating the novel features of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of FIGURE 1 and showing one form of nibl holder for slidably receiving interchangeable nibs;

FIGURE 3 is an extended view of the parts of the pen and showing the split bushing constituting a nib adapter.

Referring rst to FIGURES 1 to 3 of the drawing, a foundain pen 15 is illustrated which incorporates the novel features of the present invention. As sho'wn in FIGURE l of the drawings, the pen 15 comprises yan intermediate hollow cylindrical body 16 having a closure 17 at one end and a removable screw cap 18 at its opposite end. Cap 18 is provided with a clip 19 to adapt the pen to be carried in the pocket and clipped to the side thereof. When the pen is to be used, the cap 18 is removed to expose the nib at its end.

As illustrated in FIGURE 2, the intermediate body portion 16 comprises a sleeve having internal screw threads 20 and 21 at its opposite ends and external `screw threads 22 adjacent one end. An annular plug 23 of absorbent material is positioned in the intermediate body portion 16 fbelow the screw threads 20. Closure cap 17 has a reduced threaded end 24 for screw threaded engagement with the threads 21 at one end of the intermediate body portion 16 to attach the cap 17 to the body 16. A gasket 25 is provided between the closure cap 17 and end of the body portion to seal the joint therebetween. Mounted in and projecting from the cap 17 is an 3,003,182 Patented Oct. 10, 1961 ice ink carrier 26 of absorbent material enclosed in a helical coiled spring 27 which fits snugly within the cap 17.

In prior constructions a nib of felt or other selfsupporting absorbent material is mounted directly in a nib holder. Thus, the substitution of a nib of a different form requires the use of -a plurality of expensively machined nib holders with the nibs of dilerent forms assembled therein.

In accordance with the present invention, nib holder 30, see FIGURE 2, is provided -at the end of the cylindrical body portion 16 which is adapted to slidably receive interchangeable adapters 31 for holding nibs 32 of different forms. It will be understood that the nib holder 30 of the present invention may be substituted for the nib holder used in prior constructions to slidably receive the interchangeable adapters of the present invention. Nib holder 30 has a reduced end 33 with screw threads 34 and an annular shoulder 35 overlying the upper end of the cylindrical body 16. Thus, when the nib holder 30 is screwed onto the internal screw threads 34, it clamps a gasket 36 between the annular shoulder-35 and end of the body 16 to seal the joint therebetween. The nib holder 30-has a stepped cylindrical bore 37 for receiving interchangeable adapters 31 and provide a shoulder 37a to limit the inward movement of adapter 31.'

T-he adapter 31 is split so that it may be compressed for insertion into the nib holder and will resiliently expand to 'frictionally seat therein. The nib 32 is formed of felt or other self-supporting absorbent material and is clamped Within the adapter bushing 31. Adapter 31 is of a construction which may be economically manufactured in automatic screw machines and easily and quickly assembled with a nib 32. As shown in FIG- URES 2 and 3, the adapter has spaced cylindrical sections 38 and 39 with a reduced cylindrical section 40 therebetween. The adapter 31 has an axial bore 41 through which the nib 32 extends and the upper cylindrical section 38 is tapered from its outer periphery of the bore to provide a smooth continuous surface 42 from the end of the nib holder 30 to nib 32. Adapter 31 has a slot 43 along one side which splits the nib holder and extends throughout its length to adapt the holder to flex radially for frictionally engaging the sides of the bore 37 in the nib holder 30 in which it is slidably mounted. After a nib 32 has been assembled in an adapter 31, the reduced portion 40 is struck by suitable tools to form detents 44 for engaging and holding the ni'b therein without materially reducing the capillarity of the nib.

It will be obvious from the above description that a nib 32 of any desired shape may be easily and quickly mounted in a relatively inexpensive adapter 31, due to the slip 43 which permits the holder to flex. An assembly of adapter 31 and nib 32 mounted therein also may be easily and quickly mounted in or removed from the pen 15 by merely sliding it into or out of the nib holder 30. Thus, nibs 32 of different forms may be interchangeably mounted in the end of the pen 15 and held by the friction lit of the split bushing 31 with the side walls ofthe bore 37 in the nib holder 30.

When it is necessary to replenish the supply of ink, cap `17 with the ink carrier and its supporting spring is detached from the intermediate body portion 16 by unscrewing it therefrom. The end of ink carrier 26 is then dipped into a supply of ink which quickly saturates it. Ink carrier 26 is then inserted into body portion 16 and cap 17 screwed thereon. The longitudinal movement of the ink carrier 26 and cap 17 relative to the body 16 engages the end of the carrier with plug 23 of absorbent felt and with the nib 32 and such contact is insured by spring 27. Ink then ows from the ink carrier 26 to 3 plug 23 and from the plug to the nib 32 and to its outer end by capillary action. Thus, the end of the nib 32 is continuously supplied with the ink to adapt it to be used to mark or write as desired. When the fountain pen is.,A

not in use the 'cap 18 is screwed onto the upper threaded end 22 of the body portion 16 to enclose the nib 32 and prevent the evaporation `of the ink solvent.

It will now be observed that the present invention provides writing instruments in which the nibs may be interchangeably mounted by merely sliding the nibs and adapters into and out of the pen. It will `also be observed that the present invention provides a nib holder for use with conventional pens to adapt it to receive interchangeable nibs. It will still further be observed that the present invention provides an adapter which is of simple and compact construction, adapted for economical manufacture and one which may be easily and quickly applied to and removed from a pen.

While one embodiment of the invention is herein illustrated and described it will be understood that further changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of elements Without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, without limitation in this respect the invention is defined by the following claim.

I'claim:

A fountain pen comprising a cylindrical barrel having an open end, a nib holder at one end of the barrel having a cylindrical bore for receiving interchangeable nibs, said barrel and holder being secured to each other by being mutually threaded; a nib of absorbent capillary material extending through the bore of the nib holder with one end projecting from the nib holder and an adapter surrounding the nib intermediate its ends and frictionally engaging the walls of the cylindrical bore of the holder to frictionally hold the nib in position in the nib holder; said adapter and nib being permanently secured to each other to form a sub-assembly adapter to be frictionally fitted as a sub-assembly into the holder; the holder being of considerably mo're' rigid' material than that of the adapter; the adapter being athin longitudinally split resilient sleeve; the nib holder and adapter having mutually cooperating for limiting the inward movement of thev adapter and nib sub-assembly in the holder; the adapter being in the form of a collar enclosing the nib and having a slit extending longitudinally therethrough at one Vside to adapt the collar to yieldradially as it is inserted into the cylindrical bore of the nib holder; the adapter being inwardly deformed to provide detents engaging the nib.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 227,235 Ford May 4, 1880 1,111,537 Hill Sept. 22, 1914 1,166,896 Garvey Jan. 4, 1916 1,529,192 Kotzen Mar. 10, 1925 1,954,260 Panitzsch Apr. 10, 1934 2,025,286 Hutchison et al Dec. 24, 1935 2,147,310 Morrison Feb. 14, 1939 2,320,823 Kingso June 1, 1943 2,416,596l Rosenthal Feb. 25, 1947 2,640,216 Gottlieb June 2, 1953 2,803,029 Brady Aug. 20, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 191,868 Switzerland Sept. 16, 1937 

